Fugitive Pursuit Read online

  Heat hit him as soon as he stepped outside. He glanced to his right and saw only an overloaded trash bin. To his left, a car moved slowly as though the driver searched for a parking space. Jamie had just passed it.

  Zack took off after her. His badge slapped against his chest. As he moved, he slammed pressure onto a not-quite-healed leg. Pain jolted through his knee from when he wiped out on his surfboard. “Carter!”

  The woman rushed between a set of trees at the end of the parking lot, a long ponytail waving behind her. A loose-fitting dark T-shirt and blue jean shorts would help her disappear into the wall of trees, leaving him in the dust, looking like a fool.

  Zack stopped running and bent over. He set both hands on his thighs and prayed for the pain in his leg to diminish. What had he been thinking? Stupid decision to come after a bounty with his inexperienced sister and his less-than-ready body.

  Yikes. Lily. He’d bailed on her. When he turned around, a sea of faces greeted him from just outside the internet café. Questions flew at him as he hobbled back to them.

  “Who was she?”

  “What’d she do?”

  “Want us to go after her?”

  They crowded him as he crossed the back entrance and into the hallway. “It’s all right, guys. We’ll get her another time.” Business patrons passed by him and shuffled through abandoned chairs. Voices buzzed once again.

  Several people crowded Lily as she sat in a chair and rubbed the back of her head. “Lil?”

  “I’m okay.” Once she stood, she closed the distance between them. “What about you?”

  He scanned the room. Several people had returned to their work, with the few remaining stragglers backing away. “Kyle was right. I’m not ready to go back in the field.” His older brothers had relegated him to the office of their bounty hunting business for another few days, as though he, a grown man, couldn’t decide when his body was healed enough.

  Clearly, they had a point.

  The jabbing pain along his leg dulled to a throbbing ache. He shifted his weight to his uninjured knee.

  “Do you want to sit down for a few minutes to rest your knee?”

  He shook his head. “No, I’m good. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Don’t worry.” Lily wrapped her arm around his back and leaned her head on his shoulder. “We still have the advantage with Carter.”

  “How do you figure?” Zack steered her toward the checkout counter.

  “You were able to find her once. You’ll be able to do it again.”

  “Maybe.”

  A man around his age rushed to the counter. His name tag read Randy. “How can I help you?”

  “Sorry about the ruckus.”

  The guy waved them off. “Forget it. No one got hurt, which is the important thing.”

  “Lil, where’s the picture?”

  Lily pulled the fugitive’s photo from her pocket. Once he took it, Zack unfolded it and placed it on the counter.

  “We were searching for this woman, Jamie Carter. She’s not a dangerous criminal so you don’t have to worry. She probably won’t come back, but if she does, can you call the number on the bottom of the page?”

  Randy held the paper like it was gold and nodded. “Of course, sir, miss.” His gaze shifted to Lil. And stayed there.

  Zack glanced at her, smiling away, batting her eyelashes at the guy. “Thanks.” He pinched his sister’s sleeve and tugged her toward the door. “Let’s go, miss.”

  Once they stepped outside, Zack grinned. “He’s too young for you.” He didn’t look at her, but from the corner of his eye he could see Lily glaring at him. They walked in silence back to the truck. The wind shook the tree leaves, which created strange sunshine patterns.

  Carter had been prettier than her mug shot, even with the worry creasing her brow. In her picture, her wavy hair dipped past her shoulders. Today, she’d pulled it away from her face, which made her look younger than her twenty-four years and much more vulnerable. His heart almost went out to her.

  But it didn’t. He was a professional and she was his criminal.

  Inside the vehicle, Lily met his gaze. “You know the others are going to have a word or two for us, right?”

  “Yup.” But it would be Zack they’d be angry with, not Lil. A hundred justifications for taking her along on his hunt for Ms. Carter roamed through his head, but none of them would be good enough for his brothers. He shouldn’t have gone, they’d say, should’ve left Lily at work, he’d acted totally irresponsible, blah, blah, blah.

  “You can handle it, though. You know you’re one of the best and they’re only jealous.” She clicked her seat belt into place. “Besides, I’m a big girl. I make my own decisions.”

  Yeah, he’d push that justification. It hadn’t been his decision after all.

  For some reason, he took one more glance across the parking lot toward the wall of trees. Of course, Carter was long gone. He had to admit, the woman’s story intrigued him. So did the worry plastered across her face. Yes, as bounty hunters, he and his brothers heard sob stories all the time, criminals forming paper-thin explanations in hopes of gaining an ally, but Jamie Carter’s impassioned plea had caught him off guard. What if the woman spoke the truth? What if she did everything she could for an innocent kid?

  Nah. Just because he hadn’t been out on the hunt in almost four weeks, he couldn’t let his brain freeze. Besides, the courts called Jamie Carter a criminal who needed to be brought to justice. He had to follow the law.

  * * *

  Two days later, Jamie sat on the blanket she’d set beside her tent and leaned her head against the tree. Excited voices of adult campers and children around her helped to calm her heart. Yes, she could’ve hidden farther into the woods, where no one would find her, but the complete human stillness would leave her with too much time to think. Guilt had a way of creeping through silence.

  What was she doing? By walking away from her sister and having fun on a vacation, she’d managed to let one of the most important people in her life get hurt. No, both people if she thought about it. Her sister was dead and her niece had no parents. Well, technically Charlotte still had a father, but if Jamie had her way, the man would never see his little girl again. Drew wasn’t fit to be a father.

  Giving up her comfort in her apartment once she’d gone on the run had been a no-brainer. But she hadn’t been prepared for life as a fugitive. She constantly looked over her shoulder, and in another night or two, she’d have to move again to another campground. Too much time in one place made her an easier target to find.

  When she and Erin were little, they used to put up tents in the backyard and treat their evening like a grand adventure. These days she was also on a journey but one of a whole different kind.

  When she took Charlotte and jumped bail, she knew she had to let go of anything normal—no cell phone, no personal computer, no familiar places. She had grabbed the basics for survival, dropped her niece off with a friend willing to help and pitched her tent in the city park. With a beach on one side and summer campers on the other, she hid out, hoping for the guilt inside her to tamp down in her brain long enough for her to find a way out of the mess she was in.

  As a soft breeze floated through the leaves, she glanced around the trees. Sunshine created streaks of light across the dirt paths, reminding her of the joy and happiness bubbling throughout her and Erin’s adventures all those years ago. Soft and comfy sleeping bags had cradled her and her dreams.

  Now, she was alone.

  Once she put Drew behind bars, she and Charlotte would camp throughout New England, hitting all the best-known parks. Jamie would make sure to share her sister’s love of camping with the little one.

  She scrubbed her palm over her face and shifted her gaze to the wallet-sized picture of her, Erin and Charlotte that she kept in her backpack. Inside the bag were a
few changes of clothes, all the money she had in her savings account and everything she held dear: pictures, Erin’s favorite Bible, trinkets that friends and family had given Jamie over the years, her own journal documenting her emotions as well as her ideas about Drew’s failings as a sheriff...and as a man.

  Men were supposed to love their families, take care of them, cherish them.

  Drew protected himself and his reputation.

  Her thoughts drifted to the bounty hunter who’d tried to capture her the other day. He was probably good to his family. He seemed to care about following the law, not abusing it. What would it be like to have a man like him in her corner? She pressed her back to the thick tree stump as the image of the man flooded her brain. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes.

  But Jamie had no time for romance. Thoughts of Mr. Bounty Hunter were a luxury she couldn’t afford. She needed to stay focused on making up for her mistake, for not being there when Erin needed her most.

  Jamie hadn’t heard her ringing phone while at breakfast with her friends on the last day of vacation. Before she got on the road to return home, she’d listened to Erin’s message.

  She was ready to leave the marriage, she’d found some incriminating evidence of Drew selling drugs and she needed Jamie ASAP. Noises in the background made Erin whisper and rush her words. She told Jamie she loved her. She started saying something about Mrs. C., an old family friend, but her words were cut off, then the phone had gone dead.

  Charlotte, though, the most important person in Jamie’s world, was safe. Jamie wished she could stop by her friend’s house to spend some time with the girl, but she’d never put the child in unnecessary danger. Plus, Greta lived in Massachusetts. The time it would take to get there was precious. Jamie needed to stay focused.

  With a heavy sigh, she returned the picture to her backpack, then stretched out on her back. Sunshine through the leaves cast heat and brightness over her. Jamie closed her eyes and willed herself to relax.

  With so much pain in her heart, such weariness in her muscles and so many unanswered questions, being at ease seemed a million miles away. Hey, God, do You think You could guide me through this journey so I can protect Charlotte and honor my sister? She was pretty sure He didn’t care about her, but Charlotte? Surely God could come through for a beautiful child.

  For a few hours, she’d rest, then she’d head to her grandmother’s best friend’s house. Another neighbor had said Mrs. C. had been gone for a couple months, but she was due back from visiting her son sometime today. Maybe the woman had evidence against Drew that Erin had started gathering while Jamie was out gallivanting with her friends? Surely Mrs. Cecily could give Jamie some insight into...something...

  Maybe.

  The weight of her battles pushed against her shoulders. Putting up with teenage attitudes, she could handle. Investigating a killer and possible drug pusher, though, was she good enough?

  Yeah, her job. Only three years in the classroom and after all her questionable choices lately, she might never be allowed inside a school again. Thankfully she was on summer break, so she didn’t have to consider having a meeting with her boss. At least, not until August. She prayed her boss would show understanding and welcome her back when Jamie put Drew away. If.

  Jamie flattened her palms on her stomach. A few minutes of nothingness and then she’d start planning her next move. For a few moments, she just needed...to be.

  Something interfered with the brightness of the sun. A shiver scaled her spine. She jerked upright and scanned her surroundings.

  A blue jay chirped above her.

  She tossed the tent opening to one side and grabbed the baseball bat one of her star students had given her when he got accepted to his favorite college with a baseball scholarship. Wrapping her fingers around the base, she slid behind the biggest tree trunk nearby. Could Drew have found her? But she’d been so careful.

  Faint hints of movement within her camping space broke down her confidence.

  Did she dare peer around the trunk?

  With the bat hanging over her shoulder, she inched forward enough to see an empty spot. She moved a little farther.

  But the bat stayed still. “Your time on the run is up.”

  Her heart jumped. She jerked her head around. Before her stood what looked like close to two hundred pounds of muscle. The man from the internet café two days ago. The injured one. The handsome bounty hunter. A hint of relief spread out through her chest. At least it wasn’t Drew.

  Still, ways to escape his custody surged through her mind as she glanced around him. She’d done it before. She could do it again. Hopefully. Although this time he had her pinned to the trunk of a tree. A hint of cologne or soap drifted to her nose.

  “I see the look in your eyes.” He tugged the bat out of her hands and tossed it behind him. It landed by her backpack. “But you’re not going anywhere except to jail.”

  Anger for the way she’d left him at the café should have been visible through his expression, but he studied her with calm determination. He was bigger than she’d first thought the other day, wider in the chest. Stronger, probably. Intimidating, definitely.

  Yet she didn’t fear for her life.

  Jamie swallowed the lump in her throat. How would she get out of this? “Who are you?”

  After taking a couple of steps back, he propped his hands on the waistband of his cargo pants. “My name’s Zack Owen. I’m a bounty hunter.”

  One man trying to finish her off and one trying to bring her in. Great. As if her life wasn’t complicated enough.

  “How’d you find me?” She’d thought she’d been doing well staying off the grid.

  “I asked questions. People around the internet café, people on the bus routes, others by the beach and in the park...they all gave you up.”

  “How’s the woman from the other day? I didn’t mean to hurt her. It’s just...there’s a lot at stake.”

  “Like you trying to blame everyone else for your behavior?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

  She lifted her chin. “Not everyone else. Just the man responsible.”

  “The courts can sort all that out.” Leaning forward, he took a loose hold of her arm. “Let’s go.”

  She couldn’t explain it, but something about him made her want to trust him, to reach out to him for assistance. Maybe going with him could work in her favor. She spent enough time guiding teenagers to her side of the bargaining table. She could do the same thing with this guy.

  Except Zack Owen was no sixteen-year-old. The bottom line was she didn’t know this man. Her heart might be urging her to take a chance, but her brain knew better.

  She dug in her heels. He stilled, staring down at her with piercing green eyes the color of an Irish countryside. “Look, I won’t put the cuffs on you if you can act like a civil human being.”

  “You can’t—”

  “Yes, I can.” His grip tightened. “Now what’s it going to be?”

  She nipped her bottom lip. Several seconds ticked by. Think of something.

  “Come on.” He tugged her toward the camping site parking lot, fifty, sixty yards away.

  Jamie froze. Two of Drew’s men stalked toward them. She couldn’t be caught. Charlotte needed her. At least with the bounty hunter she had a chance.

  Zack stilled, looked from her to the men. “You know them?”

  “Yes. How did they find me?”

  “Probably the same way I did.”

  She gripped his arm. “I’ll go with you, but let’s go in the other direction.” And she’d pick up her backpack on the way. She couldn’t leave her most treasured items behind.

  “Why?”

  “Later.” She tried to drag him toward the tent, but the stubborn man wouldn’t move.

  Big beefy Charlie, an off-duty depu
ty, closed in. “There you are.”

  Jamie had seen the man next to him once or twice with Drew. Ben was his name. He pointed at her. “We’ve wasted a lot of time looking for you.”

  “Who are you guys?” Zack braced his stance.

  Jamie inched closer to him until their arms touched. She wanted to take hold of his hand, but she kept to herself. “They’re deputies from my brother-in-law’s office.”

  As though the bounty hunter wasn’t even there, Charlie closed the distance between her and himself. “You know what we’re here for, Jamie. The kid. Where is she?”

  “I’ll never give up my niece.” She’d die first.

  “Sorry, but Jamie’s coming with me.” The bounty hunter slid her behind him. A wave of relief rolled through her. She pressed her palms to his back.

  “Not too many people say no to Charlie.” Ben snickered.

  Charlie straightened to his full height, only around five feet eight inches, but his bulk made up for what he lacked in height. “I don’t think you understand. We need information from her and we’re authorized to get it however we can.”

  The bounty hunter didn’t even flinch. “No, you don’t understand. Your boss has no legal right to threaten her. As a sheriff, he should know he needs to let the justice system work.”

  Tension rose like a thick layer of smoke. She’d wanted to get away from Mr. Bounty Hunter, but for the moment he was her only ally.

  The other two men chuckled and traded glances. “Get out of my way.” Charlie took a swing at Zack. The thwack when Charlie’s fist connected with the bounty hunter’s jaw resonated through the woods. Zack tossed an uppercut, which snapped the other man’s head back.

  Guilt rose inside her. No, she didn’t want to go with the bounty hunter, but she didn’t want him hurt because of her, either.

  While Zack tangled with Charlie, Ben marched toward her. Jamie scanned the floor of the woods as she backed up. She needed a weapon. Leaves...rocks...the bat.